Lee Dillon is the Liberal Democrat MP for Newbury, having first been elected to parliament at the 2024 general election.

In the 2024 general election, Dillon won 19,645 votes, representing 40.1% of the vote. The Conservative Party candidate, Laura Farris, received 17,268 votes (35.3%), while the Reform UK candidate, Douglas Terry, secured 5,357 votes (10.9%). Dillon was duly elected with a majority of 2,377 votes.

The Newbury constituency is located in Berkshire. It has predominantly been held by the Conservative Party since its creation in 1885, with periods of Liberal/Liberal Democrat representation from 1906-1910, 1923-1924 and 1993-2005.

Dillon’s immediate predecessor as the MP for Newbury was Laura Farris of the Conservative Party. Farris represented the seat from 2019 to 2024.

Political Career

Dillon is a member of the House of Commons housing, communities and local government select committee (since October 2024) – the committee responsible for scrutinising the policy, spending, and administration of the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government and its associated public bodies.

Dillon is a member of the House of Commons procedure committee (since October 2024) – the committee responsible for considering the practice and procedure of the House in the conduct of its public business. It can make recommendations to the House about the operation of the House’s Standing Orders for public business.

Dillon is a member of the backbench business committee (since November 2025). The backbench business committee is a select committee of the House of Commons that has the responsibility for scheduling debates on days set aside for “backbench business”. Established in 2010 as part of the Wright reforms, its creation helped transfer some control of the parliamentary timetable from the government to backbench MPs for the first time.

In January 2026, Dillon led a Westminster Hall debate on horse and ride road safety. He called on the government to significantly strengthen legal protections for horse riders, arguing that current guidance is failing to prevent “daily” tragedy on British roads.

He said ministers should “strengthen the highway code guidance for passing horses and to improve driver education so that motorists better understand horses’ behaviour and the potentially devastating consequences of their actions.”

He also introduced the Road Traffic (Horse and Rider Safety) Bill in September 2025 to this effect.

Dillon is listed as a member of the all-party parliamentary groups (APPGs) for historic vehicles and pharmacy.

Dillon delivered his maiden speech on 9 September 2024 in a debate on transport.

He said: “As a member of a political party with a proud heritage of standing up for the environment, I can assure honourable members and my constituents that I will do my bit in this place to make sure that we do look after it.”

He added: “As a 16-year-old, I arranged a visit to parliament. As we were being shown around the chamber, we came past the opposition frontbench and a school friend cheekily sat down. I will not use parliamentary privilege to name him but he encouraged me to do the same.

“You will be pleased to hear that I declined, madam deputy speaker. However, I said that I would sit there if I ever got elected. Well, 25 years later, I can now rightly take my place on the famous green benches, so some dreams do come true.”

Before entering parliament, Dillon accumulated significant experience in local government. He was first elected to West Berkshire Council in 2007, serving until 2011, and was then re-elected in 2015. He served as leader of West Berkshire Council from 2023 until 2024.

Dillon previously stood unsuccessfully for parliament in the Newbury constituency in the 2019 general election. He also contested the Islwyn constituency in Wales in the 2005 general election.

Political views

The Liberal Democrats (or Lib Dems) are a liberal political party, occupying the centre to centre-left ground in British politics.

The preamble to the Lib Dem constitution begins: “The Liberal Democrats exist to build and safeguard a fair, free and open society, in which we seek to balance the fundamental values of liberty, equality and community, and in which no-one shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity.”

The Liberal Democrat autumn conference in 2021 ratified a policy paper entitled What Liberal Democrats Believe. The paper, an attempt to expand on the constitution’s preamble, was framed around seven “principles and values”.

The party’s core values were described as “liberty, equality, democracy, community, internationalism and environmentalism.”

Dillon is listed as a member of the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) for fair elections – a cross-party group of MPs and peers that campaigns for electoral reform. The group’s stated aims include replacing the first past the post (FPTP) voting system with a form of proportional representation, eliminating “dark money” and “undemocratic influence” from politics, and countering disinformation.

Assisted dying

Dillon voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, better known as the assisted dying bill, at both second reading (November 2024) and third reading (June 2025).

Social values and conscience issues

Abortion decriminalisation (2025): Dillon voted in favour of a backbench amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill that sought to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales in June 2025. The amendment, which was passed by a majority of 242 votes, removed women from the threat of prosecution for ending a pregnancy at any stage. As an issue of conscience, MPs were allowed to vote according to their personal beliefs.

Before Politics

Born Lee Raymond James Dillon in 1983, he attended school in Thatcham and Newbury.

Prior to becoming MP, Dillon worked for nearly 15 years in the social housing sector for a not-for-profit housing association.

Dillon has described David Rendel, the former Liberal Democrat MP for Newbury (1993-2005), as his political inspiration.

Personal Life

Dillon is a lifelong resident of Thatcham. He has a wife and young children.

Dillon referred to his father’s trade unionist roots in his 2024 maiden speech.

He told the House: “As the son of a trade union official, I suspect I was always going to end up in a role where I could speak truth to power. I thank my father, Raymond, for instilling in me a sense of fairness and a belief that we can make change happen.”

Dillon also referred to his sister, stating: “Without the NHS, my sister, Michelle, would not be here today. We need to cherish it, fund it and modernise it.”

Trivia

Dillon is a keen sports fan and supporter of Reading Football Club, whom he takes his children to watch.

He recalls watching his hometown football team, Thatcham Town, win the FA Vase Final at Wembley Stadium in 2018.